Details
Lepidochelys olivacea
The olive ridley turtle is a relatively small sea turtle famous for mass nesting events. It moves between oceanic and coastal waters while feeding on varied small prey.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It inhabits warm Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian ocean and coastal waters. Shallow feeding areas and sandy nesting beaches are both essential.
Shell length 55-75 cm; weight 35-50 kg. The rounded shell is olive-colored, and the head is fairly large. Long foreflippers power swimming.
Diurnal and loosely social at sea, it may gather in breeding areas. In some regions many females nest on the same beach in a short period.
An omnivore, it eats crustaceans, jellyfish, mollusks, fish, and algae. It forages both near the bottom and in the water column.
Females dig nests in sandy beaches and lay eggs. During mass nesting, many females come ashore together, and hatchlings later move to the sea.
It is listed as Vulnerable. Bycatch, nesting beach alteration, egg collection, and marine debris are major threats.
